PORTRAITS
Fans of poetry and art will really dig the work of Anatol Knotek. His creations weave his words into work that is first and formost visual. While that’s nothing new in the art community, for poetry, it is a much needed breath of fresh air. Poetry is a dichotomy of rules and creativity, often at odds with one another. We are taught to be creative as possible with our words and with what we choose to spill forth onto paper, but when it comes to form, rhyme, and the visual, too many times is a format pushed on writers. Poetry can be expressed in so many ways, but very few of them are seen as acceptable and beautiful, especially to academics. Knotek’s work breaks the mold in some astonishing ways.
Fashion photography has already brought us some some out of this world creations, and we’re not just talking about the clothes they’re supposed to be displaying. While the majority of what we see in catalogues and magazines are static photos, fashion photography has always been an art. Some photo spreads tell impossible stories. Models can be skydiving, underwater, on the moon, or lost in nature. You name it and it’s been done. That’s why we were pleasantly surprised to see some fashion photos that still surprised us and made us want to see more. Matt Wisniewski brings a little of the absurd back to fashion photography in his series Futur Couture.
It’s rare to become enamored with entire photosets from an artist. It’s even more rare to fall in love with pictures for an ad. Last week, a set of pictures taken by photographer Tom Hussey made their way all over the internet. They were intended as advertisements for Alzheimer’s medication in 2010, but their poignant composition pulled at heartstrings all over the world. They are a sincere peek into the lives of strangers that truly tell a lifetime of stories in single images.
Twins have fascinated people for centuries. Even the culture we grew up in made twins seem like something more than the normal sibling relationship. Many of us grew up with the Olsen twins or Tia and Tamara. Thriller movies cast twins as mystical and spooky figures, while sit-coms and cartoons had them finishing each others sentences and even wearing the same outfits. None of these are really true of twins, but their similarities and differences have long been the subject of fascination. National Geographic recently published a story that explored the physical similarities and differences versus the psychological similarities and differences of twins.
Occupy Wall Street is a movement so compelling that its protests have spread nationally. It is one that tackles the issues of a choked economy and the suffering of the non-wealthy. Like many movements past, it will be remembered by the faces media will focus on. However, there are thousands involved and these issues affect people from all walks of life. With a sea of protesters, it’s hard to make sure that every voice is heard. Eddie McShane attempts to cash in a picture’s worth of words and make sure that different faces in the crowd are seen.
Art lovers lucky enough to reside in San Francisco will be able to see the hauntingly beautiful work of Charmaine Olivia up close. Spoke Art is hosting a gallery of her work starting September 1st to September 22nd. Her portraits of women are both dream-like and frightening. They are each beautiful fictional subjects with a touch of something unreal and unexpected. Each one gazes from the canvas at the viewer, expressing feelings unknown.
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